Derrick or excavating-machine



I. A. HARMAN.

DERRICK 0R EXCAVATIN-G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT I2. 19I9.

Patented July 26, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I l I I I I I Y l l I l I I l I l i I I/ A mf/WY J. A. HARMAN.

nEnmcK 0R ExcAvATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 12,1919.

yI. A. HARMAN.

DERRICK 0R EXCAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 12,1919.

1,385,543. Patented July 26, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/N VEN TOR J. A. HARMAN.

DERRICK 0R EXCAVATING MACHINE.

v APPLICATION FILED SEPT I2, I9I9| 1,385,543. Patented July 26, 1921.

4 I 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

MHz/

@wnrk UNITED` STATES j PATENT oFFlcE.

JACOB A. HARMAN, 0F PIEIORIA7 ILLINOIS.

DERRICK OR EXCAVATING-MACHINE.'

.Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jllly 265 1921.

Application filed September 12., 1919. SerialNo. 323,330.

To all 'whom it may concern;

` Be it known that I, JAoonA. HARMAN, a citizen of the United States, aresident of Peoria, in the county of Peoria vand State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Derricks or'Fixcavating-Machines, of which the following is a speciiication.

vThis invention has yreference to derricks or excavators, and relatesparticularly to that type mounted on a traveling frame or platform andintended to lbe used in excavating and moving earth or other material,

such as in the constructionV or cleaning out of drainage'ditches and theconstruction of railroad,"levee or'other embankments.

. In the use of derricks of the type referred to, it is necessary fromtime to time to clean out or deepen agricultural drainage ditches, andso far as I am aware, there is no satisfactory and economical method ofsupporting and moving forwardly 'along such ditches, the machines whichare used therefor.

One of the common methods employed for this work, is to place a steamshovel or a drag line type of dredge, centrally located, upon beams longenough to span the ditch, and rest upon wheels or rollers. Few of theseditches are less than thirty feet wide and many of them are fifty ormore feet wide on top, so that the structure necessary to carry thedredging machinery, located and working over the center of the ditch, isnecessarily very heavy and expensive to provide and operate. Allexcavators of this must be at a maximum, vbecause the load is centrallyplaced between the supports. Y

My invention has for its vprincipal object, to place the revolving Vorswinging portion of the Aderrick or excavator-nearer to one of4 Afurtherobject vof the invention is to provide a three point suspensionfor the derrick or excavator.

A further objectV of the invention is yto provide supporting beams forthe derrick, which span the ditch, of a character which will allow 4oneend of the frame to be higher vthan the other, while at thesame time thehoist house and equipment controlling the boom and bucket may remain'level.

And a still further object of the invention is te provide a supportingbeam or frame which is extensible, whereby `to adapt the frame todifferent width ditches.

That 'the invention maybe more fully understood, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, forming apartof the description, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a derrick or excavator embodying my'invention, the same shown when at work cleaning out or ldeepening adrainagel ditch;

Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. 1, except thatthe supporting beam or'frameis shown constructed in a manner which will allow one end to be ata higher point than the tended to adapt it to ditches 'of differentwidths, and f Fig. 4L is a plan view of the derrick or excavator,illustrating the ythree point suspension; v l

F'g. 5 shows a conventional form of caterpillar for the truck, appliedto the truck ysupporting the "hoist house,]and

Fig. 6 is 1an 1elevation of the structure shown inl Fig. '5, thecaterpillar shown on the-berm' surfaces, displacing 'the track and`wheels shown in the preceding figures.

Like lcharacters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout thefigures.

As showingthe application and use of the derrick orexcavator, I haveillustrated by cross-section andv in plan, a ditch A banked by theberm-surfaces B. Y

On each of the berm surfaces are laid the -ties C andthe rails'D.

The derrick -or 'excavating equipment yproper is not unlike that now incommon use, z. e. comprising the usual hoist-house l, mounted to revolveon theusual and well known bull-wheel or turn-table 2. Connected Vwiththe hoist-house, that its outerend may be raised and lowered, is theboom 3. The cables 4 are provided for this purpose. 5 denotes theexcavating bucket to which is connected a cable 6, whereby it may becontrolled at suitable points, and 7 is the cable controlling theloadingr 'and trip of said bucket.

The supporting frame for the derrick or excavator, comprises preferably`thecrossbeam `8, Fig. 1, or the cross-beams 8 and 9, Figs. 2, 3 and 4.In Fig. 1, the beam 8 is a single beam adapted to span a given widthditch. In Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the beams 8 and 9 make it possible, as willbe explained, to adapt the opposite ends of the beams to differentlevels and to extend the supporting frame so as to adapt the same todiffer- Y ent width ditches.

In Fig. 2, the -forward extension 9 of the beam 8 has its forward endraised at an elevation above the forward end of the beam 8. This maybeaccomplished in several. different ways, but as a simple andinexpensive expedient, the rear end of the beam 9 may be bolted at 10 tobeam 8, inclined forwardly and supported in this position by the upright11, bolted to the end of the beam Y v8 and the body of the beam 9.

In Fig. 3, thevbeams 8 and 9 areshown constructed in a manner allowingthe beams 49 to beextended to a position to adaptthe supporting frame todifferent width ditches. This may be accomplished in several different'ways, but as a simple and inexpensive expedient, the two beams may beprovided with a plurality of corresponding bolt lholes to Vreceive bolts12. The full and dotted lines illustrate the different positions towhich the frame maybe adjusted.

The outer ends of the beam or beams 8 and 9 are preferably connected toand supportedby the short truck 13, having wheels v 14 traveling on therail D. This constitutes one of the points of Asuspension fortheder- Theinner ends of the beam or beams 8 and V9 are preferably connected to oneend of a truck 15, substantially longer than the opposite truck 13, forreasons which will become apparent.H This .truck also has wheels 16traveling on the rail D. Connecting the forward end of the truck 15 andthe` beam 8 intermediate its length, `is the angularly disposed bracingand supporting beam 417.

V'The end ofthe V,truck 15 to .which the beam 8 is connected,constitutes the second point of suspension, and its forward end to whichthe vbrace 17 is connected, constitutesthe third point ofsuspension.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a conventional form of ar caterpillarmovable upon the berm surfaces of the ditch to take the place of thetrack and wheels previously referred to. This caterpillar is referredtov generally as 17, and while I have only shown the caterpillar in Fig.5 as applied to truck 15, supporting the hoist house, it is I preferthat the revolving portion of the derrick orexcavator should be placedonly a short distance from the center lineof the support 15, so that thestrength of the beams carrying the load between the two supports 13 and15, vwill be practically at a minimum.

My invention will permit the use of existing type of excavatingmachinery, and the machine vwill have the further advantage of beingable to dig or clean out a very much wider ditch, and deposit theexcavated l material at a greaterA distance from the ditch bank (seedotted line position of bucket, Fig. 1) becausethe revolving portion ofthe machine may be so located upon the travelving frame that it will beoverV the edge of the ditch and can move the material the disi tance ofthe swing of the boom; or, when cleaning out an old ditch, can readilyplace the excavated material back of the spoilbank of the originalexcavation, as, already p,

pointed out.

What I claim is:

1. In a derrick or excavator, in combination, a pair of wheel supports,one longer than the other to provide a three `point suspension frame, a'span for a ditch, comprisingl a beam connected to the short wheelsupport and one end of said longer wheel support, bracing and supportingmeans for said beam, and a revolving .derrick mounted,

on said span, off center or, eccentric to the width thereof, and vat ashort distance from the center line of one. of said supports. S

2. In a derrick or excavator, 1n combination, a pair of supports, anextensible plat- Y form connecting said supports to provide anadjustable span for different width ditches, and a revolving derrickmounted onv said platform, off-center or eccentric to the width of ltheplatform, and at a short distance Y,

from the center line` of one of said supports. i

3. vIn a derrick Lor excavator, a pair of wheel mounted supports adaptedto travel on the berm surfaces of a ditch, a platform to span the ditchand connected to travel with said supports, a turn-table having a fixedlocation on said platformeccentric to the width thereof, and a shortdistance from the center line of oneof saidfsup'ports, and a 1lgllerrickrevolubly mounted-'on said turnta e.- -Y i 4. In a derrck or excavator,in combina- Width of the platform, and at a short distion, a pair ofsupports, traction means contance from the center line of one of saidnected With said supports to move on the supports. 10 berm surfaces of aditch, a platform convIn Witness whereof, I have hereunto af- 5 nectingsaid supports and designed to'span Xed my hand this 5th day ofSeptember,

a ditch, and a revolving derrick mounted on 1919. said platform,off-center or eccentric to the VJACOB A. HARMAN.

